


wiped out!

by anqel



Category: Justice League - All Media Types, Teen Titans - All Media Types, Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 06:42:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20354089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anqel/pseuds/anqel
Summary: Often times a story is black or white. There’s always a hero and a villain.Your story has always been gray. Lines between good and bad are blurred, and you haven’t known a single human to stay strictly on one side of the moral compass.Remaining complacent will destroy you. Gray does not exist.You must decide.





	wiped out!

**Author's Note:**

> hello 🤡 
> 
> it’s been a while! i’m gonna go ahead and say i forgot how to write! give me a few chapters to remember the english language and how it works uwu
> 
> my first chapters are always so unnecessarily long skskskskskssk
> 
> pls enjoy this though! 🥳
> 
> for context, the dc world is VERY confusing to me!!! so i’ve combined my knowledge of the teen titans animated series which i watched ALL of and like all the other variations lmaoo which i have only seen bits and pieces of ☠️ to create my own liddle headcanon world.... we trying out here there’s so much to know lol we’ll see where this story goes 🚶♂️

Deep bass blaring from the speakers vibrated from the walls down the hallway. Clad in a red branded hoodie and matching visor, the teenaged delivery boy made steps down the apartment hall. He wouldn’t call it _shitty_, but the place definitely wasn’t upscale. He often delivered to this complex; it was a cheap place for young kids to rent out. They were ‘lax with the rules, which was evident from the many parties in different rooms he frequently made deliveries to. 

This particular pad didn’t seem to be much different from the norm. With the hand free from holding the temperature safe cased up pies, he rang the doorbell. Seconds passed, and the teen rolled his eyes upon realization that the music would probably be too loud for anyone to even notice the grub was outside. He sighed, both hands now gripping the boxes as he imitated a knock with his booted foot against the door. Loud enough to be heard, but not crazy enough to be mistaken for the feds. 

Before he could kick knock again, the door swung open.

Smells like Jump City in there.

This was definitely a chill complex, these kids were smoking up a storm cloud. 

Laughter erupted from the room, competing with the volume of the music. A hooded figure flashed a toothy grin to the delivery boy, exchanging the pizza boxes for a wad of cash. 

“Keep the change dude,” a deep voice slowly drained out, “And stay safe.”

Like hell you’d have to tell him twice. 

The boy littered the paper wrapper of a sucker in the elevator as he hopped out of the caged transport. Thank God this was the last delivery of the night, it was nearing twelve in the morning,_ and he wanted to get into shit of his own_. Shoving the candy in his mouth, he unrolled the wad of dough from the last house, ready to calculate how much he could put into his car at the nearest station— and then weigh it out together with the tips he had gotten in the whole day’s shift. 

Tired eyes suddenly widened as he sobered into a roused stupor; the lolli nearly fell out of his mouth.

This was all hundreds. 

Crisp blue bills.

This had to have been a mistake. 

Wait—- should he give it back?

No, he said keep the change, but did he mean all of this? Fuck, should he take it and bounce? Conflicted now with what side of the moral alignment he wanted to be on tonight, he was interrupted only by a yell from above,

“Keep it dude!” 

That same voice—

A laugh erupted from the third floor window, 

“I told you stay safe didn’t I? You’re asking for trouble standing there flashing it! Just take it and go!” 

The pizza boy stood only for a few seconds more, now processing the situation. _**Right**_, this was Jump City he was in.

And this was probably dirty money.

But it all is, some way or another.

He returned the laugh, and offered a wave of thanks before jumping in his car.

Speak no evil, hear no evil. 

With the sherpa lined hood now resting on his shoulders, Z’s thick curls cascade over his face as he pulls himself away from the window. Without shutting it, he decides to let the room air out as he rejoins the table. 

“Here’s to us-“ He lifts a half empty coke can and tilts it, “and _everything _we’ve got.”

You sputtered out a snicker, kicked back with your chunky sneakers on the table and an arm draped over the back of your chair, “Oh yeah, cheers to a **shitty** apartment and** no **family to head home to. Mmm _mm_, the American Dream!” ****

** **** **

** **** **

His brows furrowed over his intense honeyed eyes— a glare that bore a seriousness powerful enough to sober one into compliance. 

“Hey— **we’re family**. You know that.”

“I know, it’s a joke dude! I wouldn’t have it any other way,” You relax back into a proper position in your seat, taking up your own soda can and clinking it against his, “—- is probably what you’re getting at, right?”

With a wink, you offered a toast to Cheri too, giggling at her efforts to fumble and put down the butt of a blunt into the ashtray and join you halfway. 

Seconds passed before Z put down his can, to which you and Cheri both turned your attention to one after another. 

“Well———— yes and no.”

You raised a brow.

“I mean, I love that we can depend on each other, and we’ve come so far and done so much. For ourselves, and Jump City… But don’t you think we… deserve more? That we deserve better?”

“Better like what?” Cheri interjected, “You never stumble over your words Z, get to the point.”

Suspicious as well, your grin now transitioned into a frown as you spoke, “Yeah, the hell do you mean? Who’s helping any kids like us **besides** us?”

Defensive, Z threw up his hands, “I’m just saying, we’re all getting older. We can’t keep playing vigilante justice and Robin Hood for the streets forever. Neither of us are dumb— so I’m sure you guys get what I mean when I say we should start looking for _real _ways to make it out here.”

The cool air from the night danced in from the window. It tugged the leader’s brown curls around his face, to which he pushed backwards and allowed to bounce back into place.

You grew increasingly irritated, “Stop fucking sugarcoating and say what you really want to say. You think you’ve outgrown us... You wanna move to a new city and make money on your own Z?** And do what? **Leave us here to rot and figure it out?”

“Sly, that’s not what I’m saying and you know it—“

“Well what are you saying, Z?” Cheri asked, bloodshot eyes welled with the anger of betrayal. 

“I already told you guys we’re family, and I’m not saying that I’m about to up and leave you guys behind. We could all get out of Jump City, we could do whatever the hell we want. Cheri, you could definitely take your skills and be a cop— or, or a bodyguard! Or— whatever! Do you know how sick of a fighter you are? And— Sly! You’re the best programmer in the underground. 

People pay top dollar for tech skills. Or whatever the hell you guys want, that’s why we need to get the hell out of here! We don’t have to keep fighting-“

“Hey jackass, did you forget that there’s heroes and villains literally everywhere? The hell would I become some cop for?”

“Seriously Z, this is your big epiphany? None of us even went to school. The little good we do is helping street kids like us get on their feet. Not everyone gets adopted by a hero or has some stupid fucking magical ability. _We made the best out of the cards we were dealt, dude_.” You dug your hands into the pockets of your oversized windbreaker, attention now on the stacks of unopened pizza boxes.

“Little good we do? We’re robbing people, Sly! Cheri, the two of you really call that **good**, just cause we redistribute chump change to a few alley kids?”

“**Z, we’re the fucking alley kids! **And you’re questioning whether what we do is _good _or not? It’s good enough! What heroes do you know in Jump City are starting a fund for the kids who lost their parents in the aftermath of fights that crumble the homes they live in? Name one hero that used the money the fucking government gives them for ‘fighting crime’ to feed the people on the street? Kids like us that don’t have powers live off **luck **alone— and I say if we do anything we ought to limit the people we rob to heroes** alone**.” Her straight black hair attempted to unravel itself from the loose ponytail tied at the top of her head as she wailed. 

“Revenge is never the answer, Cheri. I’m not asking for us to leave her and become Teen Titans 2.0, and I’m sure as hell not saying let’s paint a target on our backs and call ourselves villains. I’m saying let’s move on from this- anything else is idiotic.” 

You heard her scoff, and you could tell the tears in her eyes were already falling, “Oh, but giving up on our community isn’t?”

“Listen,

**We were just getting by. Stealing from criminals, the rich, museums, heroes, whatever. That doesn’t have to be how we make our lives anymore. I’m saying we could leave that all behind and just make_ clean _** _money for once. No worrying for each other’s life— just living it.”_

__

__

Silence.

“You feel me, right, Sly?” His voice was soft, calm, and just as alluring as you remembered…. but not enough to convince you.

You remained quiet.

What was the point of doing all this? Was it wrong or right? 

Giving back wasn’t wrong… but were the methods? Even if you were to just leave it all behind and attempt to start anew, who would take you? A bunch of teens who had never had a real job, trying to enter the workforce. Sure, you could technically start a true organization for a good cause, but how realistic was getting into the corporate world?

The same world that paid heroes to destroy everything in the name of justice. The same world that did nothing when you lost your parents. The same world that left you defenseless against criminals with powers you weren’t gifted with at birth until you learned to take what you could to survive. Why would you want to be a hero in an ordinary sense…

… But why would you want to actively go against these heroes? A lot of them were supernaturally gifted— or just supernatural. Powers or not, did they deserve to be punished for acting in a way they believe to be right? For using their gifts to aide who they could, even if they were blind to those a little more misfortunate? 

Right now they were hardly even recognized on the map. Command Z was just a bunch of annoying kids; thieves, but not major criminals. Targeting a group— heroes especially— would make them villains. That would put a giant bullseye on their backs. 

This was a headache.

Things were fine the way they were. 

Everything was fine— it wasn’t broken, there was no need to try to fix anything.

Fine— it was all fine.

Z would understand the little chance they had making it outside of Jump City and regroup with another plan. He always had a plan, he always did. He’d figure out how to make things better here—- even though they were already fine. Cheri, she’d calm down.

She’d understand his point of view; they’d make up eventually.

Eventually.

“Alright, Sylas.” He used your government name.

None of you ever went by each other’s real names; it was safer.

“Jiho.” Hers too.

“Ezekiel.” Cheri dryly hissed his name in response.

“We can talk about it again later.” You looked up when you heard the dark figure that trudged towards the door slam it shut.

Later never came.

The home you and your family once shared became silent exchanges of entering and exiting. 

“I’m sorry Sly, we all just have to find our own way.” 

—was all Cheri offered before she left, weeks later. 

Find our own way.

**Find our own way.**

_Find our own way. _

Way. 

Winner.

_Winner._

**WINNER!**

“Winner! Winner! Winner!” A generated voice echoed. 

It was fucking annoying— wait, and it was a… male’s voice? 

A computer generated male, an automated and pre recorded voice, but nonetheless. Wait, but weren’t you just talking to Cheri?

No, fuck no.

The same dream **again?**

You rose a hand to massage the crook out of your neck, surprised to realize you were clutching a controller. A pained groan escapes your lips as you squint to view the screen before you.

Your customized character repeatedly performs his victory action, while the announcer congratulates the victory over the opponent. Clearly you were no longer part of the tournament that ended hours ago, but at least you managed to win something before u fell asleep. 

Letting another tired moan huff out of your mouth, you roll your eyes as you shuffle through the title screen and save before shutting off the system. Your tongue feels like fucking sandpaper against the roof of your mouth. 

Weed crumbs are littered on the coffee table, and somehow you managed to knock off the mystery liquid you used for a makeshift gravity bong and spill it all over the carpet in your sleep. Or perhaps you did it while you were stoned.

Same difference.

Fuck.

Just where the hell did these few months go? 

Shit was so much easier as a family.

You flipped the switch on the television, opting for channel surfing instead of tending to your actual issues at hand. 

You kicked your foot up onto the coffee stand; it’s already a mess, you can deal with it later. Voices were cut off and sentences interrupted as you bounced from channel to channel. All the sudden light switches were hurting your eyes, but it quickly became worth it when you caught a glimpse of a familiar show.

_“—- but don’t worry! I’m going to overcompensate for my guilt in the most extreme way possible!”_

You snicker at the cartoon, slumping over into a more comfortable position on the couch before tossing the remote onto the table. 

What time is it? 

**Who cares.**

There’s a nasty taste in your mouth.

Whatever, you’ll finish this episode and go bathe. It’s just** one** episode, it won’t hurt anyone. This show’s fucking hilarious, even if anyone were here, no one would blame you. 

There’s charm in chaos. At least, that’s what attracted you to the show anyway. The amalgamation of various styles, satirical humor— it was a lot like the creators of the show were able to visualize and replicate how living in the real world—— how living in Jump City felt in your head. 

Maybe you could sweep up the remains of greenery on the table and roll up something to make this even funnier. No— save it for after you shower. 

You feel yourself sink into the plush furniture even further, _shit you’re getting too comfortable_. It’s just a fifteen minute show though, one or two episodes won’t hinder your day. Yeah, just one or two.

Oh you remember this episode, this is the part where—

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen.” It’s still nighttime? 

“We apologize for interrupting your regularly scheduled programming.” Who the hell’s this reporter?

Why the fuck is the news on?

“As a lot of you may know, the JCPD have recently been undergoing investigation in an alleged malware attack in their system.” He’s kinda hot. 

Seated next to the suited man sat a younger woman. Her hair was waved and cut right at her shoulders, her lips wore a signature nude gloss and her cleavage dared to peak out from her blazer. Of course, everyone knew her, she only brought terrible news when she appeared.

She interjected, “Unfortunately, there was another attack simultaneously conducted that the team was not aware of. A counter spyware was embedded into the script of the virus, which was allegedly activated upon removal of the malware— of which JCPD have yet to comment on the origin.”

That sounds an awful lot like the program you started this summer. 

No, whatever. You’re not the only hacker on the market. 

And that was back with Z and Cheri. In the past; this is just another lame villain failing at the game.

“Intentions of the hacker have yet to be confirmed by JCPD.” Sounds like they can’t figure out how to remove it without fucking up any further data.

“However,” Oh, looks like the new male co host is playing good cop since he always brings the lighter side of the news, “they have confirmed the attack to have derived from infamous street organization dubbed **‘Command Z’**.” 

The air you recently inhaled became confined in your throat, unable to escape. Eyes glued to the television, the only feeling you could recognize was the rise of hair follicles on your arms.

“Once a group known for petty theft and smaller crimes in Jump City, they rode silently for months until this attempted act of treason. It is known that their motives often include redistribution of their keep in any given crime, whether they make it from selling stolen works of art or gear and weapons from heroes and villains alike.” That’s true.

“With that information known, it is not hard to assume that they were looking for information to sell in the JCPD database, but could not get past security measures, resulting in the failure of their attack.” False.

There was no “their”—- and if **you **_wanted_ to get into a system, you’d be in it in five minutes.

And that’s not what you designed that program for. You didn’t finish it on account of the breakup, but it still had the potential to cause a———

“Mass corruption of data.” Bingo.

“Officials confirm that they have taken the hacker into custody.” You sneer.

“Without access to files at this time, we are obliged to refer to him as **Z**.”

_Ezekiel took the fall?_

No.

Z set this up.

This is part of some disgusting plan to get everything on his own.

And look at where it’s getting him.

“The culprit is currently in custody and undergoing interrogation. More on this at noon.”

“As far as the corruption, here’s what this means for you—-“

You grab the remote and shut off the television.

Tossing the small device aside, you exhale a deep sigh and run your fingers through your scalp. 

**Fuck.**

You’re gonna have to force yourself out of your comfort zone, huh?

**Author's Note:**

> kskssksksks okay if u want to know where my head is with this story i have a pinterest board for it and also playlists! let me know if y’all want to see them 🥺


End file.
